How to Use Android Parental Controls: 3 Methods

We all use smartphones nowadays and often our kids get hold of our phones. It is true that the internet is an ocean of information which can be very helpful for your kids but there are some undesirable things that you would like to avoid to make sure the kids are safe. Thus, it is important to impose parental control on the device. There are some internal settings which you can use on Android and can use an application as well. In this article, we will discuss three different methods that you can use and how to use them. If you are an iOS user then check out this article.

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1. Create a Restricted profile

The restricted profile helps you in hiding or restricting the use of any apps on your phone. You can just keep a limited number of apps in the allowed list and relax. To create a restricted profile, follow the steps mentioned below:

Open settings menu: Either on your home screen or in the app vault, you can find the settings icon. It is shaped like a gear and is not hard to locate. Tap on it once and settings menu will pop up.

Locate Users: In the settings menu, you can see an option by the name users. Tap on it and click on the “+” icon there. This will add a new user for the device.

Restricted profile: In this section, you will find an option that is named “restricted profile”. This profile is used to create a user who has restricted access to the phone and apps as permitted by you.

Setup PIN: Now the system will ask you to set up a PIN code so that on later stages if you want to change the settings you can access this area by entering the PIN number. As the kids today are tech-savvy, it is better to password protected user section on your profile so that your kids cannot mess up with the settings.

Toggle apps: In the next step a whole list of apps will appear in front of you. These are the apps that are installed on your phone. The apps that you will switch off under this section will not appear in the app vault for your kid. You can not only stop them from checking explicit content but cal restricts their social media usage as well.

Name the profile: You can either use the name of your kid or just right Kids in the name or whatever suits you.

Exit: As you have made all the required changes, you can exit the settings section.

Activating restricted access: Once you are done with creating a restricted profile, it is time to check it. You need to activate the screen where it will ask you which user you want to choose. Tap on the restricted profile name and enter the PIN code. You can now use the phone on a restricted profile without much effort.

When you check the app vault you will notice the apps that you have toggled off from the mail profile are no longer visible. If you want to access the apps for your own use, just activate the screen and shift back to the main profile.

2. Use an App

In today’s time, it is not an easy task to keep an eye on the phone and internet usage of your kids. The best way to make sure that your kid uses the phone and the internet mainly for the educational purposes is an app. Kidgy Android Parental Control App is one of the finest play store apps that you can find over the internet for the same purpose. You can access this app from the play store. There are a lot of features in this app which makes it stand out from the crowd. Some of these features are:

Location tracker: One of the biggest fears for any parents is the safety of their kids. This app will help you in tracking the live location of your kid at any given time. It will not only provide an extra layer of security but will also give you the much-required peace of mind.

Message and call logs: We often want to give the desired privacy to our kid which is not wrong at all. However, it is important to keep an eye on the kids if they are using the internet and mobile phone. This app will provide a comprehensive and detailed log of all the calls and messages that are sent and receive from your kid’s phone every day.

Restrict social media usage and website browsing: It is a known fact that the internet is full of information and your kid can take all the benefits of the internet for the studies. However, there are some anti-social elements over the internet which should stay away from your kids. With the help of this app, you can not only restrict the time spent on social media but also can block websites and apps so that your kid cannot visit it.

3. Setup Parental Controls in the Play Store

Other than using an app like Kidgy, you can also activate a parental control in the Google play store itself to restrict specific app. There are many apps which you would like to keep away from your kids. To make sure they do not download any explicit app or pay for some app accidentally you can follow the steps mentioned below:

First of all launch the Google Play store. In most of the version of Android available in the market, the Google Play Store button can be found on the main screen. Tap on it and enter the play store.

On the left menu, you will be able to see an option that goes by the name Settings.

Under the settings, there is an option that says “Parental Controls”. This the option that will help you further in restricting apps.

Toggle on the Parental Control and change the settings as per your with. Every app comes with an age appropriation mark. You can also make sure that any app over the play store is only available for your kid to download if it is age appropriate.

Here you can switch on and off different features and restrict applications that are not meant for young kids. You can do that based on the age groups that the app developers have mentioned.

There are a lot of things over the internet which can spoil your kid’s mind. Though genetics and education play an important role in the bringing up of the kids it is true as well that the environments they live in have a large impact on their lives. There are a lot of things over the internet which needs a check before your kids can access it.

To make sure that your kids stay away from the anti-social elements and cyberbullying, you have to keep an eye on what websites, apps and social media platforms he or she is using. You can use the internal settings of Android which are limited and you can additionally add apps which will provide you with a lot of extra features. It is an important part of the healthy parenting that you allow your kids to have the access to the outer world but on the same hand, it is important as a parent to make sure that the vulnerable mind of the kids is not exposed to an anti-social element at any given point.

Mehul Boricha is the founder of Tech Arrival & Astute Links. He is a computer and smartphone geek from Junagadh, Gujarat, India. He is a Computer Engineer by Education & an Entrepreneur by Passion. Apart from technology geek, he is an audiophile & loves to connect with people.